We Build the Block

MISSION: We Build the Block is a New York City-based organization bringing our community together to build the future of public safety. We create community-developed and led models proven to reduce violence and increase safety. Working with a broad coalition of partners, we support local youth, pilot new initiatives, and advocate for change.

Programs

HEAL THE VIOLENCE

WBTB’s Heal the Violence (HTV) program is a multi-year intensive crisis intervention for justice-impacted young men ages 14–25. HTV provides the relationships, stability, and practical support young people need to remain connected to their communities and build safer pathways forward. Services include individual and group counseling, art therapy, mentorship, tutoring, and workforce and life-skills development.

Youth Served Yearly: 45

Location: Brownsville, East New York, Bedford Stuyvesant, Sheepshead Bay, Coney Island, Staten Island, Lower East Side, Flatbush

BROWNSVILLE SAFETY ALLIANCE

The Brownsville Safety Alliance (BSA) is a community-led violence intervention initiative building the infrastructure for residents and community organizations to respond to violence and crisis without automatically relying on 911 or traditional policing. Through the BSA, WBTB works with a growing coalition of more than 40 community organizations, residents, and local stakeholders to develop community-based approaches to safety and crisis response. The initiative centers the knowledge and leadership of Brownsville residents, connecting people experiencing conflict or crisis with trusted community members and organizations that can respond with care, accountability, and appropriate support.

People Served Yearly: 1,000

Location: Brownsville, Brooklyn

BLOCK AID

Overdose is a leading cause of death among the young men we serve, making harm reduction education and access to life-saving resources an essential part of our violence prevention and community safety work. WBTB’s Block AID program is a peer-to-peer harm reduction initiative focused on reducing overdoses and increasing understanding of substance use disorder among justice-impacted young people. Block AID is designed around a public-safety approach that treats overdose and substance use as health and community safety issues. Through Block AID, young people become peer educators, leading trainings and community outreach around Narcan and fentanyl test strips,  while helping to reduce stigma and increase knowledge about overdose prevention. Block AID is part of the broader infrastructure needed for community safety: giving residents the tools to respond to crisis themselves rather than relying on systems that may criminalize or further destabilize the people experiencing it.

People Served Yearly: 300

Location: Brooklyn

Selected Press Links

NYT: This Police Captains Plan to Stop Community Violence

WNYC:A new program in Brownsville aims to break the link between two common types of shootings

City & State: Why NYC Needs a Department of Community Safe

The Gothamist: Brownsville Citizens Handle Crisis in Model Mayor Mamdani May Expand

We Build the Block Year in review 2025

New Frontiers: Storm King